Canto 10 - Chapter 60: A dialogue between Sri Krsna and Rukmini

Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्)	English Translation
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥ ॥ षष्टितमोऽध्यायः - ६० ॥	Discourse LX A dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī (Preamble)
श्रीशुक उवाच । कर्हिचित्सुखमासीनं स्वतल्पस्थं जगद्गुरुम् । पतिं पर्यचरद्भैष्मी व्यजनेन सखीजनैः ॥ १॥ यस्त्वेतल्लीलया विश्वं सृजत्यत्त्यवतीश्वरः । स हि जातः स्वसेतूनां गोपीथाय यदुष्वजः ॥ २॥ तस्मिन्नन्तर्गृहे भ्राजन्मुक्तादामविलम्बिना । विराजिते वितानेन दीपैर्मणिमयैरपि ॥ ३॥ मल्लिकादामभिः पुष्पैर्द्विरेफकुलनादितैः । जालरन्ध्रप्रविष्टैश्च गोभिश्चन्द्रमसोऽमलैः ॥ ४॥ पारिजातवनामोदवायुनोद्यानशालिना । धूपैरगुरुजै राजन् जालरन्ध्रविनिर्गतैः ॥ ५॥ पयःफेननिभे शुभ्रे पर्यङ्के कशिपूत्तमे । उपतस्थे सुखासीनं जगतामीश्वरं पतिम् ॥ ६॥ वालव्यजनमादाय रत्नदण्डं सखीकरात् । तेन वीजयती देवी उपासाञ्चक्र ईश्वरम् ॥ ७॥ सोपाच्युतं क्वणयती मणिनूपुराभ्यां रेजेऽङ्गुलीयवलयव्यजनाग्रहस्ता । वस्त्रान्तगूढकुचकुङ्कुमशोणहार- भासानितम्बधृतया च परार्ध्यकाञ्च्या ॥ ८॥ तां रूपिणीं श्रियमनन्यगतिं निरीक्ष्य या लीलया धृततनोरनुरूपरूपा । प्रीतः स्मयन्नलककुण्डलनिष्ककण्ठ- वक्त्रोल्लसत्स्मितसुधां हरिराबभाषे ॥ ९॥	Śrī Śuka began again : On a certain night Rukmiṇī (the daughter of king Bhiṣmaka), accompanied by her female companions, was serving with a fan her (divine) Spouse (Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa), the Father and Illuminator of the world, who was comfortably seated on her own bed. (1) The same birthless Lord who creates, sustains and destroys the universe by way of sport was born in the race of Yadu for maintaining the (moral) standards set up by Himself. (2) Rukmiṇī waited upon her Spouse, the suzerain Lord of (all) the worlds, (who was) comfortably seated on a superb cushion, white as the foam of milk, mounted on a couch, O king ! within that (well-known) inner apartment (of Rukmiṇī's palace)—whose beauty was heightened by a canopy fringed with brilliant pearl-strings hanging from it, by gems serving as lights, by flowers and garlands of jasmines resonant with the humming of black bees, and by silvery rays of the moon that had penetrated into it through eye-holes of latticed windows—(nay,) which was fanned by breezes blowing through the garden (attached to it) and laden with the fragrance of Pārijāta trees (figuring in it), and scented with fumes rising from burning aloe-wood and escaping through the (aforementioned) eye-holes. (3—6) Taking from the hand of a female companion the chowrie provided with a handle of jewels, the glorious lady rendered service to the Lord, fanning Him with it. (7) Holding the handle of the fan in her hand adorned with rings and bangles and making music by her anklets made of gems beside the infallible Lord, she looked (most) charming with the splendour of her pearl necklace—reddened by the saffron painted on her breasts covered by the end of her sari—and with her girdle of unsurpassed value worn about her hips. (8) Delighted to see her, the beautiful Lakṣmī Herself, who was exclusively devoted to Him, and had assumed a form matching with Śrī Kṛṣṇa's—who had sportfully taken a (human) semblance—(nay,) on whose countenance, embellished by locks, ear-rings and a neck adorned with a gold necklace, shone a nectarine smile, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (who captivates the heart of all) spoke smilingly (as follows). (9) (1-9)
श्रीभगवानुवाच । राजपुत्रीप्सिता भूपैर्लोकपालविभूतिभिः । महानुभावैः श्रीमद्भी रूपौदार्यबलोर्जितैः ॥ १०॥ तान् प्राप्तानर्थिनो हित्वा चैद्यादीन् स्मरदुर्मदान् । दत्ता भ्रात्रा स्वपित्रा च कस्मान्नो ववृषेऽसमान् ॥ ११॥ राजभ्यो बिभ्यतः सुभ्रूः समुद्रं शरणं गतान् । बलवद्भिः कृतद्वेषान् प्रायस्त्यक्तनृपासनान् ॥ १२॥ अस्पष्टवर्त्मनां पुंसामलोकपथमीयुषाम् । आस्थिताः पदवीं सुभ्रूः प्रायः सीदन्ति योषितः ॥ १३॥ निष्किञ्चना वयं शश्वन्निष्किञ्चनजनप्रियाः । तस्मात्प्रायेण न ह्याढ्या मां भजन्ति सुमध्यमे ॥ १४॥ ययोरात्मसमं वित्तं जन्मैश्वर्याकृतिर्भवः । तयोर्विवाहो मैत्री च नोत्तमाधमयोः क्वचित् ॥ १५॥ वैदर्भ्येतदविज्ञाय त्वयादीर्घसमीक्षया । वृता वयं गुणैर्हीना भिक्षुभिः श्लाघिता मुधा ॥ १६॥ अथात्मनोऽनुरूपं वै भजस्व क्षत्रियर्षभम् । येन त्वमाशिषः सत्या इहामुत्र च लप्स्यसे ॥ १७॥ चैद्यशाल्वजरासन्धदन्तवक्त्रादयो नृपाः । मम द्विषन्ति वामोरु रुक्मी चापि तवाग्रजः ॥ १८॥ तेषां वीर्यमदान्धानां दृप्तानां स्मयनुत्तये । आनीतासि मया भद्रे तेजोऽपहरतासताम् ॥ १९॥ उदासीना वयं नूनं न स्त्र्यपत्यार्थकामुकाः । आत्मलब्ध्याऽऽस्महे पूर्णा गेहयोर्ज्योतिरक्रियाः ॥ २०॥	The glorious Lord said : Princess ! you were sought after by kings, who vied in wealth with the lords of the spheres, wielded great influence, were endowed with splendour and distinguished for their comeliness, magnanimity and bodily strength. (10) Leaving them (all), the king of Cedi etc.—who were all love-intoxicated and had called at your door as suitors and to whom you had been affianced by your brother and father—how did you choose for your husband us, who were no match for you. (11) Afraid of kings, O beautiful one, ourselves have sought refuge in the ocean, have entered into enmity with the strong and have well-nigh relinquished the royal throne. (12) O lovely one ! generally those women suffer, who follow the track of men whose ways are not clear and who are treading the paths unrecognized by the world. (13) We are penniless and are ever loved by the poor. Therefore, O lady of slender waist, the well-to-do, as a matter of fact, do not generally resort to Me. (14) Marriage and friendship should be contracted between those two who are equal to each other in wealth, birth, sovereignty, exterior and future prospects, and never between a superior and an inferior. (15) O princess of Vidarbha ! ignoring these facts due to your short-sightedness, you (wrongly) selected (for a husband) us, who, though praised for nothing by beggars, are (really) devoid of merits. (16) Even now choose you an eminent Kṣatriya who is a match for you. Through him shall you find the desires of your heart fulfilled both here and hereafter. (17) Kings like Śiśupāla (the ruler of Cedi), Śālva, Jarāsandha and Dantavaktra, nay, your own elder brother Rukmi too bear enmity towards me, O handsome lady ! (18) It was in order to curb the pride of those haughty kings, who had grown blind under the intoxication of their might that you were brought by Me, the eclipser of the wicked, O auspicious one ! (19) Having no desire of women, progeny and wealth, we are really indifferent (to the world), remain steeped in a sense of fullness through Self-Realization, are unattached to home or the body and doing no work remain as a witness only like a light.(20) (10-20)
श्रीशुक उवाच । एतावदुक्त्वा भगवानात्मानं वल्लभामिव । मन्यमानामविश्लेषात्तद्दर्पघ्न उपारमत् ॥ २१॥ इति त्रिलोकेशपतेस्तदात्मनः प्रियस्य देव्यश्रुतपूर्वमप्रियम् । आश्रुत्य भीता हृदि जातवेपथु- श्चिन्तां दुरन्तां रुदती जगाम ह ॥ २२॥ पदा सुजातेन नखारुणश्रीया भुवं लिखन्त्यश्रुभिरञ्जनासितैः । आसिञ्चती कुङ्कुमरूषितौ स्तनौ तस्थावधोमुख्यतिदुःखरुद्धवाक् ॥ २३॥ तस्याः सुदुःखभयशोकविनष्टबुद्धेः हस्ताच्छ्लथद्वलयतो व्यजनं पपात । देहश्च विक्लवधियः सहसैव मुह्यन् रम्भेव वायुविहता प्रविकीर्य केशान् ॥ २४॥ तद्दृष्ट्वा भगवान् कृष्णः प्रियायाः प्रेमबन्धनम् । हास्यप्रौढिमजानन्त्याः करुणः सोऽन्वकम्पत ॥ २५॥ पर्यङ्कादवरुह्याशु तामुत्थाप्य चतुर्भुजः । केशान् समुह्य तद्वक्त्रं प्रामृजत्पद्मपाणिना ॥ २६॥ प्रमृज्याश्रुकले नेत्रे स्तनौ चोपहतौ शुचा । आश्लिष्य बाहुना राजन्ननन्यविषयां सतीम् ॥ २७॥ सान्त्वयामास सान्त्वज्ञः कृपया कृपणां प्रभुः । हास्यप्रौढिभ्रमच्चित्तामतदर्हां सतां गतिः ॥ २८॥	Śrī Śuka resumed : Having spoken this much to Rukmini, who looked upon herself by virtue of her constant presence by His side as His most beloved wife, the Lord, who sought to uproot her pride, became silent. (21) Hearing, then, these unwelcome words—such as had been never heard before—of her beloved Husband, the Lord of the three worlds, the glorious lady was struck with terror and, shuddering at heart and shedding tears, she was actually plunged into endless grief. (22) With her speech choked with excessive anguish she stood (there) scratching the ground with her tender feet gleaming red due to its (ruddy) nails, soaking both the breasts—painted with saffron—by her tears rendered black through collyrium and with her face cast down. (23) Severe agony, fear and grief had so obliterated her reason that the fan dropped from her hand which (shrivelling immediately) allowed the bracelets to slip off. The body too of that lady, who had lost control over her mind, swooning suddenly, fell down with dishevelled hair like a banana tree uprooted by the wind. (24) Seeing His beloved spouse, who had failed to grasp the deep subtlety of His humour, bound to Him with such a tie of affection, that merciful and glorious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was moved with pity. (25) Quickly stepping down from the couch and lifting her up, the four-armed Lord gathered up her locks and wiped her face with His lotus hand. (26) Wiping her tearful eyes and breasts soiled with tears of grief and folding in His arms the virtuous lady, who was single-heartedly attached to Him, O king, the Lord, who is the resort of the righteous and knew how to console, comforted His distressed consort, who was confounded in mind by the severity of the joke and was undeserving of it. (27-28) (21-28)
श्रीभगवानुवाच । मा मा वैदर्भ्यसूयेथा जाने त्वां मत्परायणाम् । त्वद्वचः श्रोतुकामेन क्ष्वेल्याचरितमङ्गने ॥ २९॥ मुखं च प्रेमसंरम्भस्फुरिताधरमीक्षितुम् । कटाक्षेपारुणापाङ्गं सुन्दरभ्रुकुटीतटम् ॥ ३०॥ अयं हि परमो लाभो गृहेषु गृहमेधिनाम् । यन्नर्मैरीयते यामः प्रियया भीरु भामिनि ॥ ३१॥	The glorious Lord said : O daughter of the King of Vidarbha, no, do not be angry with Me. I know you are devoted to Me. I behaved jestingly with you, O beautiful lady, only with intent to hear your retort and to behold your countenance with the lips quivering due to resentment through love, with the corners of the eyes growing red while darting glances, and with the beautiful line of eyebrows knit together. (29-30) O lady marked with fear and frown! to the householders engrossed in their household duties this indeed is the greatest gain that they pass a few hours in pastimes in the company of their beloved. (31) (29-31)
श्रीशुक उवाच । सैवं भगवता राजन् वैदर्भी परिसान्त्विता । ज्ञात्वा तत्परिहासोक्तिं प्रियत्यागभयं जहौ ॥ ३२॥ बभाष ऋषभं पुंसां वीक्षन्ती भगवन्मुखम् । सव्रीडहासरुचिरस्निग्धापाङ्गेन भारत ॥ ३३॥	Śrī Śuka went on : Rukmiṇi (the daughter of the King of Vidarbha), O king, on being thus amply comforted by the Lord, realized His utterance to be a joke and gave up the fear of being abandoned by her Darling. (32) Gazing on the Lord's face with affectionate glances graced by a bashful smile, she spoke (thus) to the greatest among men, O scion of Bharata ! (33) (32-33)
रुक्मिण्युवाच । नन्वेवमेतदरविन्दविलोचनाह यद्वै भवान् भगवतोऽसदृशी विभूम्नः । क्व स्वे महिम्न्यभिरतो भगवांस्त्र्यधीशः क्वाहं गुणप्रकृतिरज्ञगृहीतपादा ॥ ३४॥ सत्यं भयादिव गुणेभ्य उरुक्रमान्तः शेते समुद्र उपलम्भनमात्र आत्मा । नित्यं कदिन्द्रियगणैः कृतविग्रहस्त्वं त्वत्सेवकैर्नृपपदं विधुतं तमोऽन्धम् ॥ ३५॥ त्वत्पादपद्ममकरन्दजुषां मुनीनां वर्त्मास्फुटं नृपशुभिर्ननु दुर्विभाव्यम् । यस्मादलौकिकमिवेहितमीश्वरस्य भूमंस्तवेहितमथो अनु ये भवन्तम् ॥ ३६॥ निष्किञ्चनो ननु भवान् न यतोऽस्ति किञ्चि- द्यस्मै बलिं बलिभुजोऽपि हरन्त्यजाद्याः । न त्वा विदन्त्यसुतृपोऽन्तकमाढ्यतान्धाः प्रेष्ठो भवान् बलिभुजामपि तेऽपि तुभ्यम् ॥ ३७॥ त्वं वै समस्तपुरुषार्थमयः फलात्मा यद्वाञ्छया सुमतयो विसृजन्ति कृत्स्नम् । तेषां विभो समुचितो भवतः समाजः पुंसः स्त्रियाश्च रतयोः सुखदुःखिनोर्न ॥ ३८॥ त्वं न्यस्तदण्डमुनिभिर्गदितानुभाव आत्माऽऽत्मदश्च जगतामिति मे वृतोऽसि । हित्वा भवद्भ्रुव उदीरितकालवेग- ध्वस्ताशिषोऽब्जभवनाकपतीन् कुतोऽन्ये ॥ ३९॥ जाड्यं वचस्तव गदाग्रज यस्तु भूपान् विद्राव्य शार्ङ्गनिनदेन जहर्थ मां त्वम् । सिंहो यथा स्वबलिमीश पशून् स्वभागं तेभ्यो भयाद्यदुदधिं शरणं प्रपन्नः ॥ ४०॥ यद्वाञ्छया नृपशिखामणयोऽङ्ग वैन्य- जायन्तनाहुषगयादय ऐकपत्यम् । राज्यं विसृज्य विविशुर्वनमम्बुजाक्ष सीदन्ति तेऽनुपदवीं त इहास्थिताः किम् ॥ ४१॥ कान्यं श्रयेत तव पादसरोजगन्ध- माघ्राय सन्मुखरितं जनतापवर्गम् । लक्ष्म्यालयं त्वविगणय्य गुणालयस्य मर्त्या सदोरुभयमर्थविविक्तदृष्टिः ॥ ४२॥ तं त्वानुरूपमभजं जगतामधीश- मात्मानमत्र च परत्र च कामपूरम् । स्यान्मे तवाङ्घ्रिररणं सृतिभिर्भ्रमन्त्या यो वै भजन्तमुपयात्यनृतापवर्गः ॥ ४३॥ तस्याः स्युरच्युत नृपा भवतोपदिष्टाः स्त्रीणां गृहेषु खरगोश्वबिडालभृत्याः । यत्कर्णमूलमरिकर्षण नोपयाया- द्युष्मत्कथा मृडविरिञ्चसभासु गीता ॥ ४४॥ त्वक्श्मश्रुरोमनखकेशपिनद्धमन्त- र्मांसास्थिरक्तकृमिविट्कफपित्तवातम् । जीवच्छवं भजति कान्तमतिर्विमूढा या ते पदाब्जमकरन्दमजिघ्रती स्त्री ॥ ४५॥ अस्त्वम्बुजाक्ष मम ते चरणानुराग आत्मन् रतस्य मयि चानतिरिक्तदृष्टेः । यर्ह्यस्य वृद्धय उपात्तरजोऽतिमात्रो मामीक्षसे तदु ह नः परमानुकम्पा ॥ ४६॥ नैवालीकमहं मन्ये वचस्ते मधुसूदन । अम्बाया इव हि प्रायः कन्यायाः स्याद्रतिः क्वचित् ॥ ४७॥ व्यूढायाश्चापि पुंश्चल्या मनोऽभ्येति नवं नवम् । बुधोऽसतीं न बिभृयात्तां बिभ्रदुभयच्युतः ॥ ४८॥	Rukmini said : Of course, it is as You said, O lotus-eyed Lord, that I am surely unlike You, the glorious one, possessed of infinite qualities. What comparison is there between You, the glorious Lord of the three principal deities (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva) and established in Your own greatness, and myself, the primordial Nature comprised of the three Gunas and one whose feet are clutched by the ignorant ! (34) True it is that You sleep in the ocean of the (devotee's) heart as if afraid of the three Gunas, O Lord of wide strides, who are pure Consciousness, the Self. You are ever at loggerheads with the wicked senses and even Your servants kick aside such a dark and gloomy thing as kingship. (35) The ways (even) of sages fond of the honey of Your lotus-feet are obscure and hence surely incomprehensible by beasts among men. For, when the doings of (even) those who follow You are as though supernatural, those of the Almighty Lord in You must be much more so. (36) Certainly You—to whom (even) Brahmā and others, who accept offerings (from others) bear offerings—are Akiñcana (not in the sense that You own nothing but) because there is nothing other than You. Those blinded by wealth and (engaged in) gratifying their senses do not know You, who steal away the hours of their life. You are the most beloved of those Brahmā and others (who enjoy the respect of others), and vice versa. (37) Indeed You are the embodiment of every (recognized) object of human pursuit, a personification of absolute joy, seeking which the wise give up everything. Their contact with You is most deserved, but not so of the man and woman who are attached one to the other and therefore subject to pleasure and pain. (38) You have been elected by me (as my husband), knowing that Your glory has been sung by sages who have renounced the rod, and that You are the Soul of the universe and are ready to bestow Your very self (on Your devotees), and rejecting (even) Brahmā (the lotus-born) and the rulers of heaven (Indra and others), whose fortune and blessings are dashed to the ground by the force of Time as propelled by a mere play of Your eyebrows, others (Śiśupāla and so on) being of no account. (39) Your plea that You resorted to the sea out of fear (of the kings) has no meaning, O elder Brother of Gada; for, by the mere twang of the Śāṅga bow you put them to flight and carried away myself. Your share, O Lord, (even) as a lion drives away other animals and appropriates its prey. (40) The foremost of kings like Aṅga, Pṛthu (the son of Vena), Bharata (born of Jayanti, the spouse of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva), Yayāti (the son of Nahuṣa), Gaya and others retired to the forest renouncing their undisputed sovereignty in quest of You, O Lord of lotus eyes. Did they suffer because they sought Your feet here ?(41) O Lord, the abode of virtues ! the fragrance of Your lotus-feet grants freedom from transmigration to the people, is the resort of Lakṣmī and has been extolled by men of wisdom. What mortal woman with a clear insight into the real purpose of life, who has (once) smelt it, would (dare) ignore it and seek another who is ever subject to grave fears (of senility and death etc.)? (42) I have sought as my befitting partner You, who are the suzerain lord of the universe, (nay,) my own Self and the granter of (all) desired boons both here as well as hereafter. May Your feet, which seek him who worships You and release him from the deceptive cycle of births and deaths, prove to be an asylum to me, who have been wandering through (repeated) births. (43) O infallible One, O Destroyer of foes, let the kings (Śiśupāla and others) suggested by You be the choice of that woman into whose ears has not entered a lay pertaining to You and sung in the courts of Śiva and Brahmā. Within their homes those kings behave towards the ladies like a donkey, an ox, a dog, a cat and a slave. (44) This human body, the interior of which contains (nothing but) flesh, bones, blood, worms, excreta, phlegm, bile and wind, is covered with skin, moustaches, nails and hair on the body and head, is a living corpse. That stupid woman alone serves such a body as a husband, who has never enjoyed the fragrance of honey in the lotus of Your feet. (45) I wish to burn with love for Your feet, O lotus-eyed One, who delight in Your own self and do not see anything extraordinary in me ! When for the advancement of this world You cast Your glance on me (as Prakṛti), assuming a superabundance of Rajas, that alone constitutes, as a matter of fact, (an act of) supreme grace on me. (46) (When You ask me to choose another partner even now,) O slayer of the demon Madhu, I do not regard Your words as without meaning; for sometimes, surely enough, there are girls who like Ambā* (the daughter of the celebrated king of Kāśi), cherish love for somebody else (than the one by whom they have been won). (47) The mind of a woman of easy virtue, though married, is always attracted towards a new person. A wise man should not (therefore) maintain such an unchaste woman; for by doing so he falls both here and hereafter. (48) (34-48)
श्रीभगवानुवाच । साध्व्येतच्छ्रोतुकामैस्त्वं राजपुत्रि प्रलम्भिता । मयोदितं यदन्वात्थ सर्वं तत्सत्यमेव हि ॥ ४९॥ यान् यान् कामयसे कामान् मय्यकामाय भामिनि । सन्ति ह्येकान्तभक्तायास्तव कल्याणि नित्यदा ॥ ५०॥ उपलब्धं पतिप्रेम पातिव्रत्यं च तेऽनघे । यद्वाक्यैश्चाल्यमानाया न धीर्मय्यपकर्षिता ॥ ५१॥ ये मां भजन्ति दाम्पत्ये तपसा व्रतचर्यया । कामात्मानोऽपवर्गेशं मोहिता मम मायया ॥ ५२॥ मां प्राप्य मानिन्यपवर्गसम्पदं वाञ्छन्ति ये सम्पद एव तत्पतिम् । ते मन्दभाग्या निरयेऽपि ये नृणां मात्रात्मकत्वान्निरयः सुसङ्गमः ॥ ५३॥ दिष्ट्या गृहेश्वर्यसकृन्मयि त्वया कृतानुवृत्तिर्भवमोचनी खलैः । सुदुष्करासौ सुतरां दुराशिषो ह्यसुम्भराया निकृतिं जुषः स्त्रियाः ॥ ५४॥ न त्वादृशीं प्रणयिनीं गृहिणीं गृहेषु पश्यामि मानिनि यया स्वविवाहकाले । प्राप्तान् नृपानवगणय्य रहो हरो मे प्रस्थापितो द्विज उपश्रुतसत्कथस्य ॥ ५५॥ भ्रातुर्विरूपकरणं युधि निर्जितस्य प्रोद्वाहपर्वणि च तद्वधमक्षगोष्ठ्याम् । दुःखं समुत्थमसहोऽस्मदयोगभीत्या नैवाब्रवीः किमपि तेन वयं जितास्ते ॥ ५६॥ दूतस्त्वयाऽऽत्मलभने सुविविक्तमन्त्रः प्रस्थापितो मयि चिरायति शून्यमेतत् । मत्वाजिहास इदमङ्गमनन्ययोग्यं तिष्ठेत तत्त्वयि वयं प्रतिनन्दयामः ॥ ५७॥	The glorious Lord replied : O virtuous lady ! it was with intent to hear you speak in this strain, O princess, that you were subject to a joke by Me. In fact, the interpretation you have put on My words is wholly and literally true. (49) Whatever blessings you seek from Me are undoubtedly ever possessed by you, who are solely devoted to Me, O blessed one ! And blessings sought from Me lead to freedom from desires, i.e., Liberation. (50) O faultless one, I have come to know your love and fidelity to Me. For, though I tried to shake you by My words, your mind could not be estranged from Me. (51) They who propitiate Me, the Bestower of Liberation, for conjugal pleasures through austerities and vows have given their heart to sensuous enjoyments and are deluded by Māyā. (52) Having obtained (propitiated) Me, the Source and Bestower of Liberation as well as of worldly riches, O proud lady, they who seek after the latter only are unfortunate (as a matter of fact), inasmuch as these can be obtained even in the lowest species of life (which are compared with hell). To such men (however) whose mind is given to the pleasures of sense (even) hell appears to be a pleasant resort. (53) Well it is, O mistress of My household, that you have practised constant devotion to Me, which rids one of worldly bondage, and which is (so) very hard to practise for the wicked and more so for a deceitful woman reeking with unclean desires and given to sense-gratification only. (54) In the whole of My household I do not see a house-wife affectionate like yourself, O proud lady, who, ignoring all the kings assembled on the occasion of your marriage, sent a Brāhmaṇa carrying a confidential message to Me, of whom you had (only) heard good accounts (and whom you had never personally known). (55) You put up with the disfiguration of your brother vanquished in battle, nay, his death* (too at the hands of Balarāma) on the happy occasion of (Aniruddha's) wedding in a tournament of dice-playing, and the grief repeatedly caused by the memory of these (unpleasant) incidents. You (however) never spoke a word (about these things) for fear of separation from Us. By this conduct of yours you have (completely) won Me over. (56) A messenger was sent by you with a most judiciously-worded message in order to secure My hand. While I was tarrying, you looked upon this world (full of relatives and friends) as void and (even) sought to cast off this (charming) body of yours, which you did not consider as worthy of anyone else. Let that (unique) love of yours stand to your credit. (Unable to repay it) We (only) hail it with joy. (57) We are told in the Mahabharata how the three daughters of the then king of Kāśi were conquered in an open contest by Bhisma for the sake of his cousins, Citrangada and Vicitravirya, and how Amba, the eldest of them, who had set her heart upon Śaiva, was, when she opened her mind before Bhisma, allowed by the latter to seek the company of Śaiva. (49-57)
श्रीशुक उवाच । एवं सौरतसंलापैर्भगवान् जगदीश्वरः । स्वरतो रमया रेमे नरलोकं विडम्बयन् ॥ ५८॥ तथान्यासामपि विभुर्गृहेषु गृहवानिव । आस्थितो गृहमेधीयान् धर्मान् लोकगुरुर्हरिः ॥ ५९॥ इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां दशमस्कन्धे उत्तरार्धे कृष्णरुक्मिणी- संवादो नाम षष्टितमोऽध्यायः ॥ ६०॥	Śrī Śuka continued : In this way the almighty Lord of the universe, though immersed in the Bliss of Self, sported with Lakṣmī (in the form of Rukmiṇī) by indulging in amorous talks (with her) imitating the ways of humanity. (58) So did the all-pervading Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Preceptor of the universe, sported (simultaneously) in the mansions of His other spouses too, discharging His household duties like a (common) householder. (59) Thus ends the sixtieth discourse entitled "A dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī," in the latter half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahāṃsa-Sarhhitā. (58-59)

Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्)

English Translation

॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥

॥ षष्टितमोऽध्यायः - ६० ॥

Discourse LX

A dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī

(Preamble)

श्रीशुक उवाच ।

कर्हिचित्सुखमासीनं स्वतल्पस्थं जगद्गुरुम् ।
पतिं पर्यचरद्भैष्मी व्यजनेन सखीजनैः ॥ १॥
यस्त्वेतल्लीलया विश्वं सृजत्यत्त्यवतीश्वरः ।
स हि जातः स्वसेतूनां गोपीथाय यदुष्वजः ॥ २॥
तस्मिन्नन्तर्गृहे भ्राजन्मुक्तादामविलम्बिना ।
विराजिते वितानेन दीपैर्मणिमयैरपि ॥ ३॥
मल्लिकादामभिः पुष्पैर्द्विरेफकुलनादितैः ।
जालरन्ध्रप्रविष्टैश्च गोभिश्चन्द्रमसोऽमलैः ॥ ४॥
पारिजातवनामोदवायुनोद्यानशालिना ।
धूपैरगुरुजै राजन् जालरन्ध्रविनिर्गतैः ॥ ५॥
पयःफेननिभे शुभ्रे पर्यङ्के कशिपूत्तमे ।
उपतस्थे सुखासीनं जगतामीश्वरं पतिम् ॥ ६॥
वालव्यजनमादाय रत्नदण्डं सखीकरात् ।
तेन वीजयती देवी उपासाञ्चक्र ईश्वरम् ॥ ७॥
सोपाच्युतं क्वणयती मणिनूपुराभ्यां
रेजेऽङ्गुलीयवलयव्यजनाग्रहस्ता ।
वस्त्रान्तगूढकुचकुङ्कुमशोणहार-
भासानितम्बधृतया च परार्ध्यकाञ्च्या ॥ ८॥
तां रूपिणीं श्रियमनन्यगतिं निरीक्ष्य
या लीलया धृततनोरनुरूपरूपा ।
प्रीतः स्मयन्नलककुण्डलनिष्ककण्ठ-
वक्त्रोल्लसत्स्मितसुधां हरिराबभाषे ॥ ९॥

Śrī Śuka began again : On a certain night Rukmiṇī (the daughter of king Bhiṣmaka), accompanied by her female companions, was serving with a fan her (divine) Spouse (Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa), the Father and Illuminator of the world, who was comfortably seated on her own bed. (1)
The same birthless Lord who creates, sustains and destroys the universe by way of sport was born in the race of Yadu for maintaining the (moral) standards set up by Himself. (2)
Rukmiṇī waited upon her Spouse, the suzerain Lord of (all) the worlds, (who was) comfortably seated on a superb cushion, white as the foam of milk, mounted on a couch, O king ! within that (well-known) inner apartment (of Rukmiṇī's palace)—whose beauty was heightened by a canopy fringed with brilliant pearl-strings hanging from it, by gems serving as lights, by flowers and garlands of jasmines resonant with the humming of black bees, and by silvery rays of the moon that had penetrated into it through eye-holes of latticed windows—(nay,) which was fanned by breezes blowing through the garden (attached to it) and laden with the fragrance of Pārijāta trees (figuring in it), and scented with fumes rising from burning aloe-wood and escaping through the (aforementioned) eye-holes. (3—6)
Taking from the hand of a female companion the chowrie provided with a handle of jewels, the glorious lady rendered service to the Lord, fanning Him with it. (7)
Holding the handle of the fan in her hand adorned with rings and bangles and making music by her anklets made of gems beside the infallible Lord, she looked (most) charming with the splendour of her pearl necklace—reddened by the saffron painted on her breasts covered by the end of her sari—and with her girdle of unsurpassed value worn about her hips. (8)
Delighted to see her, the beautiful Lakṣmī Herself, who was exclusively devoted to Him, and had assumed a form matching with Śrī Kṛṣṇa's—who had sportfully taken a (human) semblance—(nay,) on whose countenance, embellished by locks, ear-rings and a neck adorned with a gold necklace, shone a nectarine smile, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (who captivates the heart of all) spoke smilingly (as follows). (9)

(1-9)

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।

राजपुत्रीप्सिता भूपैर्लोकपालविभूतिभिः ।
महानुभावैः श्रीमद्भी रूपौदार्यबलोर्जितैः ॥ १०॥
तान् प्राप्तानर्थिनो हित्वा चैद्यादीन् स्मरदुर्मदान् ।
दत्ता भ्रात्रा स्वपित्रा च कस्मान्नो ववृषेऽसमान् ॥ ११॥
राजभ्यो बिभ्यतः सुभ्रूः समुद्रं शरणं गतान् ।
बलवद्भिः कृतद्वेषान् प्रायस्त्यक्तनृपासनान् ॥ १२॥
अस्पष्टवर्त्मनां पुंसामलोकपथमीयुषाम् ।
आस्थिताः पदवीं सुभ्रूः प्रायः सीदन्ति योषितः ॥ १३॥
निष्किञ्चना वयं शश्वन्निष्किञ्चनजनप्रियाः ।
तस्मात्प्रायेण न ह्याढ्या मां भजन्ति सुमध्यमे ॥ १४॥
ययोरात्मसमं वित्तं जन्मैश्वर्याकृतिर्भवः ।
तयोर्विवाहो मैत्री च नोत्तमाधमयोः क्वचित् ॥ १५॥
वैदर्भ्येतदविज्ञाय त्वयादीर्घसमीक्षया ।
वृता वयं गुणैर्हीना भिक्षुभिः श्लाघिता मुधा ॥ १६॥
अथात्मनोऽनुरूपं वै भजस्व क्षत्रियर्षभम् ।
येन त्वमाशिषः सत्या इहामुत्र च लप्स्यसे ॥ १७॥
चैद्यशाल्वजरासन्धदन्तवक्त्रादयो नृपाः ।
मम द्विषन्ति वामोरु रुक्मी चापि तवाग्रजः ॥ १८॥
तेषां वीर्यमदान्धानां दृप्तानां स्मयनुत्तये ।
आनीतासि मया भद्रे तेजोऽपहरतासताम् ॥ १९॥
उदासीना वयं नूनं न स्त्र्यपत्यार्थकामुकाः ।
आत्मलब्ध्याऽऽस्महे पूर्णा गेहयोर्ज्योतिरक्रियाः ॥ २०॥

The glorious Lord said : Princess ! you were sought after by kings, who vied in wealth with the lords of the spheres, wielded great influence, were endowed with splendour and distinguished for their comeliness, magnanimity and bodily strength. (10)
Leaving them (all), the king of Cedi etc.—who were all love-intoxicated and had called at your door as suitors and to whom you had been affianced by your brother and father—how did you choose for your husband us, who were no match for you. (11)
Afraid of kings, O beautiful one, ourselves have sought refuge in the ocean, have entered into enmity with the strong and have well-nigh relinquished the royal throne. (12)
O lovely one ! generally those women suffer, who follow the track of men whose ways are not clear and who are treading the paths unrecognized by the world. (13)
We are penniless and are ever loved by the poor. Therefore, O lady of slender waist, the well-to-do, as a matter of fact, do not generally resort to Me. (14)
Marriage and friendship should be contracted between those two who are equal to each other in wealth, birth, sovereignty, exterior and future prospects, and never between a superior and an inferior. (15)
O princess of Vidarbha ! ignoring these facts due to your short-sightedness, you (wrongly) selected (for a husband) us, who, though praised for nothing by beggars, are (really) devoid of merits. (16)
Even now choose you an eminent Kṣatriya who is a match for you. Through him shall you find the desires of your heart fulfilled both here and hereafter. (17)
Kings like Śiśupāla (the ruler of Cedi), Śālva, Jarāsandha and Dantavaktra, nay, your own elder brother Rukmi too bear enmity towards me, O handsome lady ! (18)
It was in order to curb the pride of those haughty kings, who had grown blind under the intoxication of their might that you were brought by Me, the eclipser of the wicked, O auspicious one ! (19)
Having no desire of women, progeny and wealth, we are really indifferent (to the world), remain steeped in a sense of fullness through Self-Realization, are unattached to home or the body and doing no work remain as a witness only like a light.(20)

(10-20)

श्रीशुक उवाच ।

एतावदुक्त्वा भगवानात्मानं वल्लभामिव ।
मन्यमानामविश्लेषात्तद्दर्पघ्न उपारमत् ॥ २१॥
इति त्रिलोकेशपतेस्तदात्मनः
प्रियस्य देव्यश्रुतपूर्वमप्रियम् ।
आश्रुत्य भीता हृदि जातवेपथु-
श्चिन्तां दुरन्तां रुदती जगाम ह ॥ २२॥
पदा सुजातेन नखारुणश्रीया
भुवं लिखन्त्यश्रुभिरञ्जनासितैः ।
आसिञ्चती कुङ्कुमरूषितौ स्तनौ
तस्थावधोमुख्यतिदुःखरुद्धवाक् ॥ २३॥
तस्याः सुदुःखभयशोकविनष्टबुद्धेः
हस्ताच्छ्लथद्वलयतो व्यजनं पपात ।
देहश्च विक्लवधियः सहसैव मुह्यन्
रम्भेव वायुविहता प्रविकीर्य केशान् ॥ २४॥
तद्दृष्ट्वा भगवान् कृष्णः प्रियायाः प्रेमबन्धनम् ।
हास्यप्रौढिमजानन्त्याः करुणः सोऽन्वकम्पत ॥ २५॥
पर्यङ्कादवरुह्याशु तामुत्थाप्य चतुर्भुजः ।
केशान् समुह्य तद्वक्त्रं प्रामृजत्पद्मपाणिना ॥ २६॥
प्रमृज्याश्रुकले नेत्रे स्तनौ चोपहतौ शुचा ।
आश्लिष्य बाहुना राजन्ननन्यविषयां सतीम् ॥ २७॥
सान्त्वयामास सान्त्वज्ञः कृपया कृपणां प्रभुः ।
हास्यप्रौढिभ्रमच्चित्तामतदर्हां सतां गतिः ॥ २८॥

Śrī Śuka resumed : Having spoken this much to Rukmini, who looked upon herself by virtue of her constant presence by His side as His most beloved wife, the Lord, who sought to uproot her pride, became silent. (21)
Hearing, then, these unwelcome words—such as had been never heard before—of her beloved Husband, the Lord of the three worlds, the glorious lady was struck with terror and, shuddering at heart and shedding tears, she was actually plunged into endless grief. (22)
With her speech choked with excessive anguish she stood (there) scratching the ground with her tender feet gleaming red due to its (ruddy) nails, soaking both the breasts—painted with saffron—by her tears rendered black through collyrium and with her face cast down. (23)
Severe agony, fear and grief had so obliterated her reason that the fan dropped from her hand which (shrivelling immediately) allowed the bracelets to slip off. The body too of that lady, who had lost control over her mind, swooning suddenly, fell down with dishevelled hair like a banana tree uprooted by the wind. (24)
Seeing His beloved spouse, who had failed to grasp the deep subtlety of His humour, bound to Him with such a tie of affection, that merciful and glorious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was moved with pity. (25)
Quickly stepping down from the couch and lifting her up, the four-armed Lord gathered up her locks and wiped her face with His lotus hand. (26)
Wiping her tearful eyes and breasts soiled with tears of grief and folding in His arms the virtuous lady, who was single-heartedly attached to Him, O king, the Lord, who is the resort of the righteous and knew how to console, comforted His distressed consort, who was confounded in mind by the severity of the joke and was undeserving of it. (27-28)

(21-28)

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।

मा मा वैदर्भ्यसूयेथा जाने त्वां मत्परायणाम् ।
त्वद्वचः श्रोतुकामेन क्ष्वेल्याचरितमङ्गने ॥ २९॥
मुखं च प्रेमसंरम्भस्फुरिताधरमीक्षितुम् ।
कटाक्षेपारुणापाङ्गं सुन्दरभ्रुकुटीतटम् ॥ ३०॥
अयं हि परमो लाभो गृहेषु गृहमेधिनाम् ।
यन्नर्मैरीयते यामः प्रियया भीरु भामिनि ॥ ३१॥

The glorious Lord said : O daughter of the King of Vidarbha, no, do not be angry with Me. I know you are devoted to Me. I behaved jestingly with you, O beautiful lady, only with intent to hear your retort and to behold your countenance with the lips quivering due to resentment through love, with the corners of the eyes growing red while darting glances, and with the beautiful line of eyebrows knit together. (29-30)
O lady marked with fear and frown! to the householders engrossed in their household duties this indeed is the greatest gain that they pass a few hours in pastimes in the company of their beloved. (31)

(29-31)

श्रीशुक उवाच ।

सैवं भगवता राजन् वैदर्भी परिसान्त्विता ।
ज्ञात्वा तत्परिहासोक्तिं प्रियत्यागभयं जहौ ॥ ३२॥
बभाष ऋषभं पुंसां वीक्षन्ती भगवन्मुखम् ।
सव्रीडहासरुचिरस्निग्धापाङ्गेन भारत ॥ ३३॥

Śrī Śuka went on : Rukmiṇi (the daughter of the King of Vidarbha), O king, on being thus amply comforted by the Lord, realized His utterance to be a joke and gave up the fear of being abandoned by her Darling. (32)
Gazing on the Lord's face with affectionate glances graced by a bashful smile, she spoke (thus) to the greatest among men, O scion of Bharata ! (33)

(32-33)

रुक्मिण्युवाच ।

नन्वेवमेतदरविन्दविलोचनाह
यद्वै भवान् भगवतोऽसदृशी विभूम्नः ।
क्व स्वे महिम्न्यभिरतो भगवांस्त्र्यधीशः
क्वाहं गुणप्रकृतिरज्ञगृहीतपादा ॥ ३४॥
सत्यं भयादिव गुणेभ्य उरुक्रमान्तः
शेते समुद्र उपलम्भनमात्र आत्मा ।
नित्यं कदिन्द्रियगणैः कृतविग्रहस्त्वं
त्वत्सेवकैर्नृपपदं विधुतं तमोऽन्धम् ॥ ३५॥
त्वत्पादपद्ममकरन्दजुषां मुनीनां
वर्त्मास्फुटं नृपशुभिर्ननु दुर्विभाव्यम् ।
यस्मादलौकिकमिवेहितमीश्वरस्य
भूमंस्तवेहितमथो अनु ये भवन्तम् ॥ ३६॥
निष्किञ्चनो ननु भवान् न यतोऽस्ति किञ्चि-
द्यस्मै बलिं बलिभुजोऽपि हरन्त्यजाद्याः ।
न त्वा विदन्त्यसुतृपोऽन्तकमाढ्यतान्धाः
प्रेष्ठो भवान् बलिभुजामपि तेऽपि तुभ्यम् ॥ ३७॥
त्वं वै समस्तपुरुषार्थमयः फलात्मा
यद्वाञ्छया सुमतयो विसृजन्ति कृत्स्नम् ।
तेषां विभो समुचितो भवतः समाजः
पुंसः स्त्रियाश्च रतयोः सुखदुःखिनोर्न ॥ ३८॥
त्वं न्यस्तदण्डमुनिभिर्गदितानुभाव
आत्माऽऽत्मदश्च जगतामिति मे वृतोऽसि ।
हित्वा भवद्भ्रुव उदीरितकालवेग-
ध्वस्ताशिषोऽब्जभवनाकपतीन् कुतोऽन्ये ॥ ३९॥
जाड्यं वचस्तव गदाग्रज यस्तु भूपान्
विद्राव्य शार्ङ्गनिनदेन जहर्थ मां त्वम् ।
सिंहो यथा स्वबलिमीश पशून् स्वभागं
तेभ्यो भयाद्यदुदधिं शरणं प्रपन्नः ॥ ४०॥
यद्वाञ्छया नृपशिखामणयोऽङ्ग वैन्य-
जायन्तनाहुषगयादय ऐकपत्यम् ।
राज्यं विसृज्य विविशुर्वनमम्बुजाक्ष
सीदन्ति तेऽनुपदवीं त इहास्थिताः किम् ॥ ४१॥
कान्यं श्रयेत तव पादसरोजगन्ध-
माघ्राय सन्मुखरितं जनतापवर्गम् ।
लक्ष्म्यालयं त्वविगणय्य गुणालयस्य
मर्त्या सदोरुभयमर्थविविक्तदृष्टिः ॥ ४२॥
तं त्वानुरूपमभजं जगतामधीश-
मात्मानमत्र च परत्र च कामपूरम् ।
स्यान्मे तवाङ्घ्रिररणं सृतिभिर्भ्रमन्त्या
यो वै भजन्तमुपयात्यनृतापवर्गः ॥ ४३॥
तस्याः स्युरच्युत नृपा भवतोपदिष्टाः
स्त्रीणां गृहेषु खरगोश्वबिडालभृत्याः ।
यत्कर्णमूलमरिकर्षण नोपयाया-
द्युष्मत्कथा मृडविरिञ्चसभासु गीता ॥ ४४॥
त्वक्श्मश्रुरोमनखकेशपिनद्धमन्त-
र्मांसास्थिरक्तकृमिविट्कफपित्तवातम् ।
जीवच्छवं भजति कान्तमतिर्विमूढा
या ते पदाब्जमकरन्दमजिघ्रती स्त्री ॥ ४५॥
अस्त्वम्बुजाक्ष मम ते चरणानुराग
आत्मन् रतस्य मयि चानतिरिक्तदृष्टेः ।
यर्ह्यस्य वृद्धय उपात्तरजोऽतिमात्रो
मामीक्षसे तदु ह नः परमानुकम्पा ॥ ४६॥
नैवालीकमहं मन्ये वचस्ते मधुसूदन ।
अम्बाया इव हि प्रायः कन्यायाः स्याद्रतिः क्वचित् ॥ ४७॥
व्यूढायाश्चापि पुंश्चल्या मनोऽभ्येति नवं नवम् ।
बुधोऽसतीं न बिभृयात्तां बिभ्रदुभयच्युतः ॥ ४८॥

Rukmini said : Of course, it is as You said, O lotus-eyed Lord, that I am surely unlike You, the glorious one, possessed of infinite qualities. What comparison is there between You, the glorious Lord of the three principal deities (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva) and established in Your own greatness, and myself, the primordial Nature comprised of the three Gunas and one whose feet are clutched by the ignorant ! (34)
True it is that You sleep in the ocean of the (devotee's) heart as if afraid of the three Gunas, O Lord of wide strides, who are pure Consciousness, the Self. You are ever at loggerheads with the wicked senses and even Your servants kick aside such a dark and gloomy thing as kingship. (35)
The ways (even) of sages fond of the honey of Your lotus-feet are obscure and hence surely incomprehensible by beasts among men. For, when the doings of (even) those who follow You are as though supernatural, those of the Almighty Lord in You must be much more so. (36)
Certainly You—to whom (even) Brahmā and others, who accept offerings (from others) bear offerings—are Akiñcana (not in the sense that You own nothing but) because there is nothing other than You. Those blinded by wealth and (engaged in) gratifying their senses do not know You, who steal away the hours of their life. You are the most beloved of those Brahmā and others (who enjoy the respect of others), and vice versa. (37)
Indeed You are the embodiment of every (recognized) object of human pursuit, a personification of absolute joy, seeking which the wise give up everything. Their contact with You is most deserved, but not so of the man and woman who are attached one to the other and therefore subject to pleasure and pain. (38)
You have been elected by me (as my husband), knowing that Your glory has been sung by sages who have renounced the rod, and that You are the Soul of the universe and are ready to bestow Your very self (on Your devotees), and rejecting (even) Brahmā (the lotus-born) and the rulers of heaven (Indra and others), whose fortune and blessings are dashed to the ground by the force of Time as propelled by a mere play of Your eyebrows, others (Śiśupāla and so on) being of no account. (39)
Your plea that You resorted to the sea out of fear (of the kings) has no meaning, O elder Brother of Gada; for, by the mere twang of the Śāṅga bow you put them to flight and carried away myself. Your share, O Lord, (even) as a lion drives away other animals and appropriates its prey. (40)
The foremost of kings like Aṅga, Pṛthu (the son of Vena), Bharata (born of Jayanti, the spouse of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva), Yayāti (the son of Nahuṣa), Gaya and others retired to the forest renouncing their undisputed sovereignty in quest of You, O Lord of lotus eyes. Did they suffer because they sought Your feet here ?(41)
O Lord, the abode of virtues ! the fragrance of Your lotus-feet grants freedom from transmigration to the people, is the resort of Lakṣmī and has been extolled by men of wisdom. What mortal woman with a clear insight into the real purpose of life, who has (once) smelt it, would (dare) ignore it and seek another who is ever subject to grave fears (of senility and death etc.)? (42)
I have sought as my befitting partner You, who are the suzerain lord of the universe, (nay,) my own Self and the granter of (all) desired boons both here as well as hereafter. May Your feet, which seek him who worships You and release him from the deceptive cycle of births and deaths, prove to be an asylum to me, who have been wandering through (repeated) births. (43)
O infallible One, O Destroyer of foes, let the kings (Śiśupāla and others) suggested by You be the choice of that woman into whose ears has not entered a lay pertaining to You and sung in the courts of Śiva and Brahmā. Within their homes those kings behave towards the ladies like a donkey, an ox, a dog, a cat and a slave. (44)
This human body, the interior of which contains (nothing but) flesh, bones, blood, worms, excreta, phlegm, bile and wind, is covered with skin, moustaches, nails and hair on the body and head, is a living corpse. That stupid woman alone serves such a body as a husband, who has never enjoyed the fragrance of honey in the lotus of Your feet. (45)
I wish to burn with love for Your feet, O lotus-eyed One, who delight in Your own self and do not see anything extraordinary in me ! When for the advancement of this world You cast Your glance on me (as Prakṛti), assuming a superabundance of Rajas, that alone constitutes, as a matter of fact, (an act of) supreme grace on me. (46)
(When You ask me to choose another partner even now,) O slayer of the demon Madhu, I do not regard Your words as without meaning; for sometimes, surely enough, there are girls who like Ambā* (the daughter of the celebrated king of Kāśi), cherish love for somebody else (than the one by whom they have been won). (47)
The mind of a woman of easy virtue, though married, is always attracted towards a new person. A wise man should not (therefore) maintain such an unchaste woman; for by doing so he falls both here and hereafter. (48)

(34-48)

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।

साध्व्येतच्छ्रोतुकामैस्त्वं राजपुत्रि प्रलम्भिता ।
मयोदितं यदन्वात्थ सर्वं तत्सत्यमेव हि ॥ ४९॥
यान् यान् कामयसे कामान् मय्यकामाय भामिनि ।
सन्ति ह्येकान्तभक्तायास्तव कल्याणि नित्यदा ॥ ५०॥
उपलब्धं पतिप्रेम पातिव्रत्यं च तेऽनघे ।
यद्वाक्यैश्चाल्यमानाया न धीर्मय्यपकर्षिता ॥ ५१॥
ये मां भजन्ति दाम्पत्ये तपसा व्रतचर्यया ।
कामात्मानोऽपवर्गेशं मोहिता मम मायया ॥ ५२॥
मां प्राप्य मानिन्यपवर्गसम्पदं
वाञ्छन्ति ये सम्पद एव तत्पतिम् ।
ते मन्दभाग्या निरयेऽपि ये नृणां
मात्रात्मकत्वान्निरयः सुसङ्गमः ॥ ५३॥
दिष्ट्या गृहेश्वर्यसकृन्मयि त्वया
कृतानुवृत्तिर्भवमोचनी खलैः ।
सुदुष्करासौ सुतरां दुराशिषो
ह्यसुम्भराया निकृतिं जुषः स्त्रियाः ॥ ५४॥
न त्वादृशीं प्रणयिनीं गृहिणीं गृहेषु
पश्यामि मानिनि यया स्वविवाहकाले ।
प्राप्तान् नृपानवगणय्य रहो हरो मे
प्रस्थापितो द्विज उपश्रुतसत्कथस्य ॥ ५५॥
भ्रातुर्विरूपकरणं युधि निर्जितस्य
प्रोद्वाहपर्वणि च तद्वधमक्षगोष्ठ्याम् ।
दुःखं समुत्थमसहोऽस्मदयोगभीत्या
नैवाब्रवीः किमपि तेन वयं जितास्ते ॥ ५६॥
दूतस्त्वयाऽऽत्मलभने सुविविक्तमन्त्रः
प्रस्थापितो मयि चिरायति शून्यमेतत् ।
मत्वाजिहास इदमङ्गमनन्ययोग्यं
तिष्ठेत तत्त्वयि वयं प्रतिनन्दयामः ॥ ५७॥

The glorious Lord replied : O virtuous lady ! it was with intent to hear you speak in this strain, O princess, that you were subject to a joke by Me. In fact, the interpretation you have put on My words is wholly and literally true. (49)
Whatever blessings you seek from Me are undoubtedly ever possessed by you, who are solely devoted to Me, O blessed one ! And blessings sought from Me lead to freedom from desires, i.e., Liberation. (50)
O faultless one, I have come to know your love and fidelity to Me. For, though I tried to shake you by My words, your mind could not be estranged from Me. (51)
They who propitiate Me, the Bestower of Liberation, for conjugal pleasures through austerities and vows have given their heart to sensuous enjoyments and are deluded by Māyā. (52)
Having obtained (propitiated) Me, the Source and Bestower of Liberation as well as of worldly riches, O proud lady, they who seek after the latter only are unfortunate (as a matter of fact), inasmuch as these can be obtained even in the lowest species of life (which are compared with hell). To such men (however) whose mind is given to the pleasures of sense (even) hell appears to be a pleasant resort. (53)
Well it is, O mistress of My household, that you have practised constant devotion to Me, which rids one of worldly bondage, and which is (so) very hard to practise for the wicked and more so for a deceitful woman reeking with unclean desires and given to sense-gratification only. (54)
In the whole of My household I do not see a house-wife affectionate like yourself, O proud lady, who, ignoring all the kings assembled on the occasion of your marriage, sent a Brāhmaṇa carrying a confidential message to Me, of whom you had (only) heard good accounts (and whom you had never personally known). (55)
You put up with the disfiguration of your brother vanquished in battle, nay, his death* (too at the hands of Balarāma) on the happy occasion of (Aniruddha's) wedding in a tournament of dice-playing, and the grief repeatedly caused by the memory of these (unpleasant) incidents. You (however) never spoke a word (about these things) for fear of separation from Us. By this conduct of yours you have (completely) won Me over. (56)
A messenger was sent by you with a most judiciously-worded message in order to secure My hand. While I was tarrying, you looked upon this world (full of relatives and friends) as void and (even) sought to cast off this (charming) body of yours, which you did not consider as worthy of anyone else. Let that (unique) love of yours stand to your credit. (Unable to repay it) We (only) hail it with joy. (57)

We are told in the Mahabharata how the three daughters of the then king of Kāśi were conquered in an open contest by Bhisma for the sake of his cousins, Citrangada and Vicitravirya, and how Amba, the eldest of them, who had set her heart upon Śaiva, was, when she opened her mind before Bhisma, allowed by the latter to seek the company of Śaiva.

(49-57)

श्रीशुक उवाच ।

एवं सौरतसंलापैर्भगवान् जगदीश्वरः ।
स्वरतो रमया रेमे नरलोकं विडम्बयन् ॥ ५८॥
तथान्यासामपि विभुर्गृहेषु गृहवानिव ।
आस्थितो गृहमेधीयान् धर्मान् लोकगुरुर्हरिः ॥ ५९॥
इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां
संहितायां दशमस्कन्धे उत्तरार्धे कृष्णरुक्मिणी-
संवादो नाम षष्टितमोऽध्यायः ॥ ६०॥

Śrī Śuka continued : In this way the almighty Lord of the universe, though immersed in the Bliss of Self, sported with Lakṣmī (in the form of Rukmiṇī) by indulging in amorous talks (with her) imitating the ways of humanity. (58)
So did the all-pervading Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Preceptor of the universe, sported (simultaneously) in the mansions of His other spouses too, discharging His household duties like a (common) householder. (59)

Thus ends the sixtieth discourse entitled "A dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī," in the latter half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahāṃsa-Sarhhitā.

(58-59)